Cream-tester.



MERLE G. CAMPAU, 0F OCONTO, NEBRASKA.

CREAM-TESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 18, 1911.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911. Serial No. 603,282.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERLE G. CAMPAU, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oconto, in the county of Custer, State of Nebraska, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cream-Testers; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and tothe characters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a cream tester for cream separating machines,and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore fully set forth and claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient devicefor use in connection with a cream separator, whereby the cream may bereadily tested for the purpose of ascertaining the amount of butter fatwhich it contains, enabling the farmer to learn the value of his creambefore offering it for sale.

The above object is attained by the device illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view partly in section,showing the application of my invention to the bowl of a creamseparator. Fig. 2 is an en.

larged view of the bottle-holder with the bottle therein, illustratingby dotted lines the application of the holder to the top of theseparator bowl. Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of the bottle-holder,and Fig. 4 is a plan view thereof.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates the bowl spindleof a cream separator carrying at its upper end the bowl 2 adapted torevolve therewith. The bowl spindle 1 is revolved through the medium ofthe crank 3, the gear 1 turned thereby, the pinion 5 meshing with saidgear and carried on the upper end of a vertical shaft 6, said shaft atits lower end being connected through the medium of the gears andpinions 7, 8, 9 and 10 with the bowl spindle, an arrangement common incream separating machines.

The separator bowl 2 may be of any suitable shape and is provided with aremovable top or cover 11 which is conical in form and which is providedat its reduced upper end with an annular flange 12.

The bottle-holder 14 in which the testing bottle 13 is held, is madepreferably of comparatively thin spring metal which is first cut into asuitable blank from which are formed the downwardly extending relativelyshort spring jaws 15 of which there are four disposed to describe aquadrangular figure and having at their lower ends an inwardlyprojecting bead 16. There is sufficient space between the spring jaws 15to enable them to be slipped over the flange 12 of the cap of theseparator bowl in a manner to secure the holder thereto and cause it tobecome positioned concentric with the axis of said bowl. Also formedfrom said metal blank are the vertically extending spring fingers 17which are disposed between the spring jaws 15 and arranged to describe aquadrangular figure. Each of the spring fingers 17 is provided near itsupper end with an inwardly bent portion 18, the terminal of which roundsoutwardly, as at 19. The fingers 17 are of such length and are sodisposed as to embrace and confine the body of the cream bottle whilethe inwardly bent portions 18 thereof extend onto the shoulder of thebottle to securely but yieldingly re tain the bottle in the holder; thearrangement of said fingers being such as to position thebottlecentrally of the bowl when placed therein. The outwardly roundedterminals of the spring fingers enable the bottle to be seated in theholder by entering the bottom thereof between the outwardly rounded endsof said fingers and pressing the bottle downwardly.

The testing bottle may be removed from the holder by an outward or anupward pull thereon which causes the inwardly bent portions of thespring fingers to slip from the shoulder of the bottle, thereby freeingit from the gripping action of said fingers, when its removal may beeasily accomplished. The neck 20 of the bottle 13 is graduated, orprovided with the usual scale to enable the quantity of butter fatcontained in the cream to be determined as said fat is caused to risetherein during the operation of testing.

In order to determine the amount of butter fat which the cream contains,it must be separated from the accompanying liquid in which it issuspended. To provide for test said cap, the tension of said jaws beingsuf-i ficient to securely retain the holder in place;

and cause it to rotate with the bowl. The

bottle 13 with the requisite amount of cream therein properly treatedfor testing is thenf placed between the spring retaining fingers; 17 ofthe holder, as shown in Fig. 1, and the separating machine operatedthrough the medium of the crank 3 in a proper man-= ner to afiord therequired centrifugal action, to effect a separation of the butter fatfroml its accompanying liquid, so that upon the; addition of a properamount of water to the} bottle the butter fat will be caused to stand inthe graduated neck thereof so as to indicate on the scale the quantityof butter fat contained in the cream, as will be well un-i derstood inthe art.

the cream may be quickly and easily accomplished. When the testingoperation shall' have been completed, the bottle-holder may be removedby disengaging the spring jaws.

from the flange of the top or cap of the separator bowl.

7 Having thus fully set forth my invention, 5 what I claim as new. anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a cream tester the combination with a rotary member, of abottle-holder having jaws to engage said member and retain said holderconcentric thereof, said bottle-holder having bottle-engaging meansdisposed to Copies of this patent may be obtained for retain the bottleaxially in alinement with said rotary member.

2. In a cream tester, the combination with a rotary member, of abottle-holder having jaws to engage said member and retain the holderconcentric thereof, said holder having a bottle retainer comprisingresilient members disposed to embrace a testing bottle and hold it inaxial alinement with said rotary member.

8. The combination with a rotary member of a separator, a bottle-holderhaving jaws adapted to engage said rotary member to position said holdercentrally thereof, said holder having spring members disposedconcentrically of the axis of rotation of said rotary member, and atesting bottle seated in said spring members.

4L. The combination with the rotary bowl of a separator, of a top onsaid. bowl, a bottle-holder seated on said top and positioned concentricof the axis of rotation thereof, said bottle-holder having opposedspring members, and a testing bottle confined within said members andcentered with respect to the axis of the bowl.

5. The combination with a separator bowl, of a bottle-holder havingspring jaws This devlce 1s very simple and lIlBXPBIl-l sive and may bereadily attached to the; separator bowl without removing any part1thereof, whereby the operation of testing adapted to engage the top ofsaid bowl and center said holder with respect thereto, saidbottle-holder having means for yieldingly retaining a bottle thereincentrally thereof.

6. In a cream tester, a bottle-holder having aws adapted to engage arotary memher and attach the holder thereto centrally thereof, saidholder having upwardly extending spring members adapted to engage andconfine a bottle centrally of the axis of said rotary member.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

MERLE Gr. CAMPAU.

Vitnesses:

WALTER D. EASTMAN, J AMES KLEnsnn.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

